He said that Rachel, the head of the Spokane chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), began using the makeup around four years ago to make herself look darker, and also started altering her hair into a perm.

While she offered no “logical explanation” for his sister’s actions, Dolezal attributed them to a desire on her part to embark on a fresh start upon moving to Spokane, as well as what she described negative experience as a student at Howard University, where black students are the majority.

“It’s like what psychologists call self-hating,” Ezra said. “She had no reason not to like herself being white. She was an awesome artist and she could have accomplished everything she did, if she had stayed exactly the same.”

Rachel not only asked him to refer to himself as her “blood brother,” Ezra said, but she called their other adopted brother, Izaiah, her biological son after gaining legal custody of him in 2010.

The controversy around Rachel exploded when her parents, Lawrence and Ruthanne Dolezal, revealed what she was doing. The NAACP released a statement backing her, citing the “legal issue” between her and the couple. But Ezra told Buzzfeed that his sister’s action constituted a “slap in the face” to the African-American community.

“She made herself into a martyr on purpose for people to feel sorry for her and to help her,” he said.

About the Author

Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt